Mind Reader
by Gia-is-hungry
Summary: Megan is from District 4 and is terrified of dying. What will happen when she's reaped for the Capitol's newest form of punishment? Can she handle the games or will she become a monster? And what will she do about her feelings for her district partner?R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games. **

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I stand in the down town square in a roped off section filled with other 15 year olds. The air smells like seaweed baking dry in the hot District Four sun. I haven't been this nervous since the Rebellion. My name is Megan Melaleuca and I'm in the reaping for the first ever Hunger Games.

I only have four slips of paper in the drawing so my chances of being picked are slim, but it's still possible. The mayor is reading the history of Panem. I wonder if he'll do this every year. I can only hope I live long enough to find out. Dying is one of my biggest fears, ever since my little sister died. She was stung by a box jelly fish, she was only four years old and her little body didn't stand a chance. I've done everything I can to make sure that if I get picked I'll come home. I've been training since I found out about the Hunger Games but I'm powerless against the reaping. If I'm picked there's no telling who I could be thrown in the arena with.

A lady from the Capitol steps up to the reaping ball and gives a cheerful, "Ladies first!" before sticking her hand into the glass ball holding the slips of paper. I watch her read it and I know what it says before she even opens her mouth. One thing I forgot to mention: I can read minds. I don't know if it's a common occurrence or not because I've never told anybody. One thing I do know is that that piece of paper she's holding has my name on it and I'm going into the arena. I can hear the thoughts of the girls around me when she calls my name. They're relieved. No one wants to volunteer for the first year.

I walk up to the stage and climb the steps, grateful that my legs don't shake. The capitol lady, whose name I learn is Jewel Rivers (She actually narrates her life in her head, in third person), asks for volunteers and when there evidently aren't any, she walks over and draws a name from the boys' glass ball. I pick the name out of her head as her eyes skim across the two words on the paper, Jared Bryam. He makes his way to the stage and all the kids in his seventeen year old age group part immediately for him to pass. No volunteers for him either.

Once he's on the stage, the mayor begins to read the Treaty of Treason and I really don't see any reason to listen to it so I delve into Jared's mind. I really shouldn't since what he's thinking is probably personal but I've always been a really nosy person. Oh great, he's thinking about his girl friend. She broke up with him last week for Gill Michaels. Not that I'm judging or anything but she definitely gets around if you know what I mean. She doesn't deserve him. He's fantasizing now that if he can win the games and come back he'll also win her heart. I pull myself out of his mind because I'm starting to feel a little sick. For some reason, couples really skeeve me out and I have no desire to watch him suck face with that girl in his mind.

The mayor finishes his reading and I shake hands with my fellow tribute before we're lead into the Justice Building. I'm told we're allowed visitors before we leave and then I'm left in a room by myself. My mom and dad come in soon. My mother is clutching a silver cross that hangs around her neck and she has tears in her eyes. My dad looks tortured. I don't listen in on their thoughts. I can't stand their heartbreak.

"Do you want me to come home?" I ask.

"Of course we do, sweetheart." My dad says as he pulls me into a bear hug. I sneak a glance at my mom.

"Even if I have to kill someone?" I ask tentatively. My dad releases me and I step close to my mom and hug her.

"Just come home. We'll love you no matter what." My dad joins our embrace and for a moment we just hold each other.

"I love you guys more than anything." I whisper. A peace keeper comes in to take them away and I'm left sitting on the threadbare couch again trying not to cry. The door opens and I'm faced with the clique I sit with at school. I call them my friends but we aren't really that close. I never even bother to read their minds. All they think about is themselves. They all hug me and tell me they want me to come home. I let them know I'll try my best and then they leave when they realize they don't know what else to say.

Craig is next to visit me. He lives in the concrete cottage next to mine. Our fathers fish together. He's been ignoring me recently for this blond he has a crush on.

"Did you come to say goodbye?" I ask. He stares at me so I dip into his mind. Maryanne had rejected him, he's going to miss me, now he's all alone, my eyes are so green, these are the thoughts running through his head. Sorry dear, I'm not second best.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone else." I say half to be encouraging but it sounds bitter. This is probably not the best time to go all jealous and catty on him but I can't resist. His eyes are flickering between confusion and sadness, then he hugs me close.

"Come home." He whispers in my ear as he slips something into my hand.

"Okay." I whisper back. I just let him hold me. This could be the last time I'll feel the warmth of a friend's arms around me. We stay like that until the guard drags him out, they come back for me five minutes later and I'm taken to a car that will drive us to the train. Once in the car I open the hand that's still clutching Craig's gift. It's a copper chain necklace, with a seahorse charm hanging from it. I can feel a sad smile on my face as I slip it over my head.

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**I'm going to add more chapters. This is just the first one. Please Review so I know if you guys like it or dislike it and what I can do to make other chapters better.**


	2. Chapter 2

Jared is watching me. I turn my head towards him and whisper,

"You wanna team up?" He nods his head slowly.

"Okay," I say, "Follow my lead and I'll tell you the strategy once we're on the train." I can tell by his thoughts that he'll comply.

There are camera men swarming the station, I can see us on the monitor, being filmed live. I take Jared's hand in my right one and interlace my fingers with his. I tilt my head up and whisper in his ear "Don't let go." I keep my eyes on him and listen into a camera man's mind. It looks like I'm whispering words of encouragement. He believes we're an item. In his mind I can see us. Me, in my white dress and sandals clutching Jared's hand, and Jared, in khaki shorts and a button down shirt, I give the crowd a confident smile. We look strong. We look in love.

Once we're on the train, we're introduced to our mentors, Jewel and a man named Robert Smith. I let them all in on the strategy I had been planning since Jared's name was read off that little slip of paper. The plan is to pretend that Jared and I are best friends turned lovers, it's heart wrenching, not to mention brilliant. The Capitol people will eat this up. We'll get so many sponsors. We're both strong physically and not to sound narcissistic, but we're pretty attractive too.

"It's a good plan." Says Smith, albeit a little reluctantly. Jewel thinks we'll be the first to win. I mean, she's not thinking about our personal safety, she just wants to be on the winning team. Well, I'm feeling confident. I'm strong and I'm good with a trident. I also read minds so I won't get backstabbed in any alliances.

Jewel shows us to our rooms and I decide to take a shower before dinner. I head into the bathroom. I stand in front of the mirror. I take in my face, my tan skin, my big green eyes. I undo the two French braids my mom had pulled and twisted my hair into this morning and my dark red locks fall down to my waist, all wavy from the braiding. I strip off my clothes and turn on the shower. It's lovely. We don't usually get hot showers at home. Soon I'm dressed in soft jeans and a white t-shirt and it's time for supper.

The food is delicious. After we finish, Jewel leads us to another compartment where we're going to watch the recap of the Reapings. Most of the kids look scared but a couple stick out as competition. The two from District 1 are both beastly kids and could probably snap my neck if they had a mind to. District 2 was a strong boy and a ditzy looking girl. District 6 produced a crafty looking girl. I can't wait to search her thoughts, she seems devious. The others fade into the recesses of my mind. I'm tired from the stress of today and I can't concentrate. I let the others know I'm going to bed. I manage to pull off my jeans before I collapse into the clean white sheets and I'm out a few seconds after my head hits the pillow.

My mind slips into the compartment next to mine sometime during the night and I'm sucked into Jared's dream. It's a nightmare and I'm frozen on the sidelines as he watches his family members die one after another. It's horrible and it's not till he wakes up in a cold sweat that I am released. He's crying, so I slip out of his head and back into mine. I have enough to worry about without having to watch his dreams.

The next morning, Jewel is knocking on my door, promising a big, big day! I peeked in her mind and I know for a fact she's only like this after her morning espresso. I feel like maybe she should not have so much caffeine. I pull another pair of jeans out of a drawer and slip on a red tank top. I wash my face and throw my hair into a messy ponytail. When we get to the Capitol later the stylists will dictate what I'm to wear to an opening ceremony according to Jewel's thoughts, and hopefully they'll do something about my leg hair. Hmph, I rather like my leg hair, thank you very much. Although I probably won't have much say about it. This notion is confirmed when I reach the dining car and Smith tells us that tonight are the opening ceremonies and we _**will not**_ argue with our stylists. I decide to practice by not arguing with him now; after all he'll be controlling what gifts I get from sponsors which means I want him to like me.

Ten minutes later, we're pulling into the station. Jared and I stand close together near the window, not forgetting our lovers strategy, and wave at the crowd.

After about three hours in the Remake center I'm scoured raw and there's almost no body hair left on me, save my red head and carefully sculpted eyebrows. Finally, my prep team decides that I'm presentable and they send for my stylist. A young woman with light blue eyes and white hair comes in. Her name is Analeigh. I don't search her mind. I'll let her tell me what I'll be wearing herself. I listen while she explains that our costumes are supposed to reflect our district's industry. She says she wanted to focus more on the element so I'll be water.

Twenty minutes later I'm dressed in a blue dress. It has a round neckline studded with pearls and floats down to my knees. I start to think it's the softest thing I've ever worn, but that's not right because it's not soft, it's smooth and cool, it _feels_ like water. My tan skin is dusted with light gold and blue shimmer, like sunlight dancing on water. My hair is dyed blue at the tips and there is gold dust in it. Somehow they managed to string pearls into it that are so tiny they kind of look like water droplets. My green eyes are lined with blue eyeliner and as I look in the mirror I can't help feeling beautiful. I look like some kind of sea nymph or something.

Jared shows up dressed in blue slacks and shirt that are the same material as my dress. He's also dusted with gold and blue glitter, his dark blond hair has shimmer powder in it. We're both practically glowing and we really do look like sea creatures. We're loaded into chariots and I slip my hand into Jared's, and listen in on his thoughts. Aww, he thinks I'm pretty, how cute. I smile endearingly at him.

"Looking good." I say. He looks kind of startled before he replies with a

"You don't look so bad yourself." I mentally roll my eyes.

"Okay." I say, "Remember, you love me and the Capitol will adore us."

"I know the plan, Megan." He counters. Ooh. Tetchy. I think he's just nervous. I eavesdrop on what he's thinking. Yep, definitely nervous. I give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"It will be alright." I tell him. He just nods as we roll into the City Circle and the national anthem plays. I smile and wave with my free hand and I can see Jared on a big television screen doing the same. I can hear the crowds screaming our names. They love us! They can't get enough of us and I sure as heck hope some of them are rich! The cameras sweep the loop to get a shot of each of the tributes before we're lead into the training center.


	3. Chapter 3

"We were great!" I exclaim as soon as we're inside. Jared is equally excited and he swoops me up in a hug and spins me around. I grin up into his brown eyes and… read his mind. Shocker, I know but I was just so curious. He's thinking that he loves my smile and then he's telling himself to snap out of it because I could be planning his death and he has to win so he can get home to Katie (his ex girl friend). So he's attracted to me and wary of me, that's an interesting combination. We'll see what I can do with that. I stand up on my tip toes and kiss his cheek before Smith and Jewel show us to our rooms.

The training center is huge, with a tower designated specifically for the tributes and their teams, turns out each district gets their own floor. Jared, Jewel, Smith and I get in the elevator, press number four and we're whisked up into the air. When we get off the elevator I turn to Jared,

"That was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done in my life." I say, making him laugh. He has a wonderful laugh, deep and warm. _Stop Megan,_ I think, _you can't think about him like that. _

I'm given my own suite and it's bigger than my house. The carpet is so thick I could sleep on it. There are so many buttons that I spend about thirty minutes playing with them before Jewel calls me to dinner. Capitol food is delicious and all but sitting there with Jared and our entourage was seriously getting boring. The conversation was ridiculously polite small talk so I decided to tune into Jared's brain. He's thinking about me. He doesn't want to have to kill me during the games. He's kicking himself for getting to know me. The poor dear doesn't know a thing about me, how can he feel this way? This is interesting and I feel bad that I'm thinking about how I can use this to my advantage. I stop listening to his thoughts now. He isn't letting our situation change him. He's still a good person while I'm becoming a monster. The games are changing me and I feel powerless against it. I have to control myself. I couldn't control the reaping and I can't control the arena, but I can control how I respond to it. I don't want to be a heartless killer.

It's the next morning, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it's the first day of training. I can't say I'm excited as Jewel seems to be. She really needs to lay off the coffee. She's permanently peppy and we're preparing for Jared's or my possible death. That woman is seriously twisted. I sit with her and Jared in the dining room and spread peanut butter on a bagel while we wait for Smith to show up. When he finally arrives we all head down to the gymnasium. Jared and I stand in a circle with the other tributes and listen to the instructions. Then it's time to decide which station to head to. I metaphorically glue myself to Jared's side.

"Where to?" he asks.

"I guess the rock wall." We spend the next hour climbing the artificial cliff side and I've got to tell you it's a lot more difficult than it seems.

We head over to the camouflage station and paint each other for a while. I'm surprisingly good at it. Edible plants station is next and then trap setting. Jared's much better than I am at it and I'm suddenly worried I'll starve to death. We make the rounds, trying to learn as much as we can to survive. After all we only have three days.

Time flies and soon it's the end of our second day of training. I'm sitting on the roof of the tower, thinking, thinking dangerous thoughts, thoughts that will surely make me cry. I think of my mom and dad, I think of Craig and fishing. I miss them all. I miss the salty, fishy ocean breeze and the way my hair gets all stiff from playing in the water. I just really want to go home. I mentally curse the capitol and the president and the game makers for doing this to me and 23 other innocent kids. I jump when the door opens and Jared joins me. I quickly wipe away the tears that leaked out but it's too late, he notices. I search his mind and I'm surprised by the tenderness he feels towards me. He feels my pain. He wants to help me, actually help me and I can't find any ulterior motives floating around in his brain.

I turn my tear streaked face towards his. He's looking at me expectantly. He wants to know what's wrong but feels like it's a stupid thing to ask. I let it go then. No more pretending, I will let myself love this boy. Maybe we can keep each other sane. We're better together; it will be harder for the games to change me if I let myself feel for him. But I don't want to think about what I will feel when one of us dies. He takes my hand in his big warm one.

"I don't want to pretend to be in love anymore, Jared." I say. His eyes flicker in surprise. "I actually have feelings for you. I want you to know that. I want you to know I'm not playing their game. I'm being real."I finish and when he doesn't say anything, I listen in on his thoughts. He believes me, which is a relief. I lift his hand and put it over my heart.

"This is my heart, in the saddest state it's ever been. I'm giving it to you. Please. Don't leave me. You know we need this." He moves a strand of my hair away from my face and kisses me softly.

"I won't leave you." He says. I don't even have to read his mind. I know it's true.


	4. Chapter 4

It's the third day of training which means that later today we'll have to show the game makers what we're made of in a private session. Supposedly, they will score us and we'll see our scores on T.V. this evening, then the following night we will be interviewed.

Jared and I practice as much as we can, trying to cram as many skills possible in before lunch, but we can't stop time and pretty soon we're all sitting in the dining room waiting to be called. The district one male goes first, I think his name is Tyler, and then district one's female tribute, Brielle. They don't come back and we watch as district two leaves, followed by district three. I grab Jared's hand and hold it tight. He looks at me and I skim his brain, he can tell I'm on the edge of a panic attack. He whispers to me,

"Nervous?" I nod,

"I think I might pee my pants." I reply, this comment gets an amused chuckle,

"You'll do great, Megan." He reassures me, "I know you will." His name his called and I grip his hand tighter. "I have to go now, Megan." He says gently, and pulls his hand out of my trembling one. He cups my face in his hands and kisses me on the forehead, "You knock 'em dead." He says as words of encouragement. I smile,

"Good luck." I say and he grins confidently.

"I won't need it." He says, "And neither will you." And with those words he leaves me sitting at the table by myself. The other tributes in the room didn't notice our exchange, they're too busy wringing their hands nervously and planning what they will do. Thanks to my mind reading I know everybody's strategy. The little twelve year old from district five is good with knives, turns out she's a butcher's daughter. Her name's Claire. Justice, the boy from district six is 16 and really fast. Skyler from district seven and his district partner, McKayla are both handy with an axe.

"Megan Melaleuca" I'm called out for my personal session with the game makers. _Show time, _I think. I head into the gymnasium and pick up a trident and demonstrate my skill. Next I skewer the dummy through the heart with a spear, then I make a complicated human trap and scale the fake rock cliff to set it up. I listen in on their thoughts and I'm happy to hear that they're impressed, although their faces show no outward emotion, their thoughts are promising. I even get a glimpse of the arena, as one of them imagines me putting my skills to use in it. I climb down off the rock wall and stand in the middle of the gym floor, waiting to be dismissed.

"You may go now." A stern looking woman with square glasses and slicked back graying hair, informs me. I exit and head for the elevator, pushing the number four button. I find Jared and we sit on the bed in my room, eating popcorn and discussing our private training sessions. A quick scan of Jared's brain tells me what happened but I let him talk anyway. I lean against his side and listen to his voice, blocking out his mind and concentrating on the calming rhythm of his words.

After dinner we all sit down to watch the scores announced on television, I drape my legs over Jared's and fix my eyes on the screen. Smith raises and eyebrow, Jewel thinks we're cute, whatever, I don't care what they think, I'm going to spend as much time as I can with Jared, there's no telling what will happen once we're in the arena.

The kids from districts one and two all pull varying scores between eight and ten. The tributes from district three both get fives. Jared and I both score a ten. The rest of the tributes average a five, except district seven where both contestants get an eight, most surprisingly to everyone except maybe me is the district five girl, Claire, who manages a seven.

The next morning, a Sunday, is when our team starts prepping us for our interviews. We're going to be coached separately, me with Jewel and Jared with Smith and then we'll switch. At the end of my session with Smith Jared and I will practice coordinating our answers for the tomorrow night's interview, with me being interrogated first and Jared watching.

Let me tell you, four hours with Jewel is no picnic. We practice walking in heels, sitting, posture, smiling, and eye contact. Who knew being ladylike would be such hard work? I mean honestly I don't know why I should be polite if the same people are going to cheerfully watch me murder other children. Capitol people make no sense to me. Even reading their minds gives me a headache!

After lunch it's time for me to work on my interview angle with Smith. The goal is to find a character I want to portray. Luckily I'm good at acting and bullshitting answers since I can read people's minds. I know exactly what to say to make them believe every word out of my mouth. That's me, Megan Melaleuca: Master Manipulator. Not a bad ring if you ask me. After about 30 minutes with Smith, he decides I can pretend to be charming very well. Well, excuse me, I thought I was charming and endearing naturally, although according to Smith I'm naturally a smart ass. Well as long as we're pretending, I'll pretend that comment wasn't engineered to insult me.

Jared comes in later and watches as I answer all Smith's questions as if this were the actual interview then I watch as he answers questions. He does great. I'm not worried; we'll both shine in the spotlight. We're actually an item so not much pretending should be required. We go together like bees and honey; this star-crossed lovers thing will be a piece of cake.

Monday is devoted to making me beautiful for the cameras. After I'm completely clean and my makeup and hair is done, Analeigh arrives with my dress. I'm told to close my eyes and I can feel the material fall over me as they slip the gown over my head. I'm finally allowed to open my eyes and look in the mirror. The dress is beautiful, turquoise in color with a V shaped neckline and wide off the shoulder straps. Soft pleats fall away from the empire waist and the dress ends just below my ankles with enough room for the sliver pumps to peek out. The dress hugs and skims over the all the right places. I lift my eyes to my face and am astonished to see how radiant I look. My normally straight hair is curled and falls in ringlets with certain pieces braided with thin silver ribbons. My big emerald eyes are lined in silver and the lids are coated in shimmery sliver eye shadow. Silver starfish earrings hang from my ears.

When Analeigh and I meet up with the rest of the district four crew my eyes automatically find Jared. He's looking classy in a suit embroidered with silver. His tie is the same color as my dress and his sandy blond hair falls nonchalantly in his eyes. He looks his angle, confident and dashing. I almost melt when his eyes meet mine and I hear what he's thinking about me. I know it's silly and shallow but it fills me with warmth to know that someone like Jared thinks I'm beautiful and that he loves me as much as I love him.

After we get off the elevator we line up with the other tributes and prepare to take our place on the stage. We all are arranged in an arc during the interviews and I sit like a lady till it's my turn. I'm called seventh and I walk confidently up to take my place next to the interviewer, Charlie Lancaster. I shake Charlie's hand before I sit down. He doesn't waste any time getting started.

"So Megan, you are like the other girls here in that you are your district's first female tribute. How does that make you feel?" He asks. I remember what Jewel said about filtering out my 'ums' and 'likes' before I answer.

"I was really surprised and a little nervous to tell the truth but I'm excited and confident that District Four will be home to the first winner of the Hunger Games." I say.

"That seems very likely with your training score, a ten. Very impressive for a little girl like you." He says. I'm a tad irritated that he pointed out my petite-ness but I answer politely anyway,

"Well, I'm stronger than I look and I can be very resourceful." I answer evasively.

"I bet you are," Charlie says before turning the interview towards a more personal topic, "Tell me, Megan, how do you feel about your district partner? We've noticed you two are pretty close." I swallow. This is it. All I really have to do is be honest, but how can I say what I feel without seeming weak?

"We are best friends." I start, "I love him and it's tough to know that only one of us can come out alive. I can't imagine being without him. We're cherishing our time here in the Capitol and we'll be by each other's side in the arena. I know he's got my back and won't betray me. We're better together." I say and I can hear the audience sigh collectively at my answer. I jump through their minds and I know we've got this in the bag. The Capitol citizens love us.

"I know I speak for everyone when I say our hearts go out to you. Good luck, Megan." Charlie says dismissing me. I give a sad little smile and wave.

"Good night, Mr. Lancaster, good night audience." I say before going back to my seat. Jared's interview goes wonderfully. He has the audience wrapped around his finger with his clever and confident responses. They have tears in their eyes when he describes how he feels about me. I blush pink when he says my name. When he's done I zone out for the rest of the interviews. I don't want to know the other contestants, not when I'm going to have to watch them die.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to Ravyn Hawthorne and HunterofArtemis1136 for reviewing! By the way, the song in here is One Day by Matisyahu.**

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Finally, the interviews are over and we're back on our floor of the tribute tower. It's my last night here before the Games and I'm dreading going into the arena. We all depart for bed but I'm only in my room long enough to change into some pajama boxers and a t-shirt before there's a knock at my door. I open it to find Jared standing there. I swear sometimes it's like he can read _my_ mind. Without a word he opens his arms and I rush into them burying my head in his chest. He strokes my hair gently. We both curl up in my bed together. There's nothing to say. I can hear his mind worrying a mile a minute, wondering about the arena we'll be thrown into. I want to calm him somehow. He flips over and I rub his back and start singing to him.

_Sometimes I lay under the moon  
And I thank God I'm breathin'  
Then I pray don't take me soon  
'Cause I am here for a reason_

_Sometimes in my tears I drown  
But I never let it get me down  
So when negativity surrounds  
I know someday it'll all turn around because_

_All my life I been waitin' for  
I been prayin' for, for the people to say  
That we don't want to fight no more  
They'll be no more wars  
And our children will play, one day_

_It's not about win or lose 'cause we all lose  
When they feed on the souls of the innocent blood  
Drenched pavement keep on movin'  
Though the waters stay ragin'_

_And in this life you may lose your way  
It might drive you crazy  
But don't let it phase you, no way_

_Sometimes in my tears I drown  
But I never let it get me down  
So when negativity surrounds  
I know someday it'll all turn around because_

_All my life I been waitin' for  
I been prayin' for, for the people to say  
That we don't want to fight no more  
They'll be no more wars  
And our children will play, one day_

_One day this all will change  
Treat people the same  
Stop with the violence down with the hate  
One day we'll all be free and proud  
To be under the same sun  
Singing songs of freedom like_

_One day, One day, One daaay…_

By the time I finish the song he's asleep. This is good. He needs his sleep. I do too; I probably won't get much opportunity for it in the arena.

Analeigh comes to get me in the morning and I'm surprised to see that Jared's already gone. I guess he sneaked out earlier this morning. I'm given a simple white shift to wear and taken to the catacombs under the arena. There I'm dressed in gray cargo pants that can be turned into shorts. They're water resistant like sea birds feathers. I'm also given a white T-shirt and a heat reflecting gray hooded jacket. The shoes are sturdy hiking boots. Lastly, Analeigh gives me the seahorse necklace from Craig. I had almost forgotten about it. Apparently, we're allowed to have a token from home. I guess this is mine. The last thing Analeigh says to me is to make sure the gong sounds before I step off my plate. The plate clicks when I step on it and then starts rising.

I blink and look around. We, the tributes, are standing in a circle on a plateau high in the air, surrounded by mountains. In the middle of the circle is a giant golden Cornucopia, piled inside and scattered around are supplies, weapons, food, medicine, anything I could possibly need. "Ladies and gentlemen, let the very first Hunger Games begin!" the announcer booms. My eyes fasten on a trident in the mouth of the Cornucopia. I ready myself to sprint to the golden horn.

After about 60 seconds the gong finally sounds and I take off. I don't look around to see what the other tributes are doing. I grab the trident and whirl around, my mind open to the other tribute's thoughts. My eyes bug out in horror as I see Jared armed with a spear against the district seven tribute not five feet away from me. I don't have time to do anything though because McKayla, also from district 7 is behind me with an axe of her own is right behind me. She barely made a sound but her mind was practically screaming in panic. I shove my trident through her gut and twist it out. A cannon fires, she's dead. I fight my way over to Jared's side, killing three more tributes, not even bothering to notice which district they were from. Districts 1 and 2 were killing the most, hunting down the weaker kids to scared to climb over the cliff. I tell Jared to help me get supplies. I don't want to stick around to see what 1 & 2 might do to us. Jared guards my back as I grab a sleeping bag and load up two back packs with food, water, iodine, medicine, net, rope, and two flashlights. We each take a spear and five knives along with my trident.

We run towards the south side of the plateau and start climbing down. They don't notice our escape, they're too busy killing. The mountain we're on is impossibly high, riddled with caves and cliffs. There are pine trees dotting the rocky landscape.

After hours of silent hiking I find a secluded path. It's hidden behind a rocky outcrop and leads to a cave. I ask Jared if he wants to camp here for the night and he agrees. We sit down and take inventory of our supplies. We have enough food and water to last us a while. I lay out the sleeping bag and we slither inside. The bag is roomy and I'm so small there's room for even someone as big as Jared. The temperature is dropping as it gets dark and I'm glad I have my jacket, Jared and the sleeping bag to keep me warm.

He holds my hand. We feel the need to be quiet even though we're probably far away from the group that's killing every breathing thing in sight. Jared is wondering why we didn't stay and team up with them. I decide to answer his thoughts.

"Because; they were killing and _enjoying_ it." I say.

"What?" he stutters, "How did you know?" I turn toward him and look into his brown eyes. I can't tell how he'll react and I don't want the Capitol and all the districts to know my secret. This is all being televised. I lean close to his ear and whisper as quietly as I can, so hopefully only he will hear,

"I can hear thoughts, Jared." I hiss. Luckily, he's a smart boy, and instead of blurting out my secret his thinks his response. _Like mind reading?_ He thinks. I nod.

Suddenly Panem's National Anthem is blaring, echoing through the mountains. I crawl to the front of the cave and I can see the seal of the Capitol floating in the sky. The seal fades away and is replaced with headshots of the dead tributes, one after another. I count them. Eleven, on the first day. Jared offers to take first watch. I decide to let him. I lay down in the sleeping bag and he sits at the mouth of the cave gripping his spear. I rest my hand on my trident and fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_I am frozen on the top of a mountain, paralyzed with fear. District 1 is circling me like a hungry shark. The girl is behind me and the boy in front so I can't keep my eyes on both of them and the scariest thing is I can't read their minds. I open my mind and reach out but I can't hear a thing. I can see it in their eyes though, they're dangerous, they will kill me. The girl lunges forward with a knife and I scream in terror as she carves designs on my face._

I wake up in a cold sweat, an unuttered shriek lodged in my throat. Jared appears at my side, looking at me in concern.

"What's wrong?" he whispers.

"It's nothing. Just a nightmare." I tell him. He looks really tired.

"Do you want me to take watch?" I offer.

"Sure." He nods. I listen to his mind and I'm relieved that I can hear him. He's worrying about me. I slip out of the sleeping bag and kiss his cheek before grabbing my trident and slinking toward the mouth of the cave. I block out Jared's thoughts and open my mind to other tributes that might be hunting.

Jared starts to wake up as the sun peeks over the edge of a mountain in the distance. The light is the gray misty light of morning and he looks around groggily rubbing his eyes. We eat breakfast without talking.

"I think we need to get rid of District 1 and 2. They're the most dangerous." I say breaking the silence.

"I agree. I think we should spy on them." He says.

"Good idea. Do you want to leave our stuff here and both go or do it in shifts?" I ask him but I know the answer. He's more worried about me than the supplies. He doesn't want to separate for anything.

"Let's both go." He says. We travel light, only taking two knives each. We plan on coming back and we aren't going to fight, just scope out the area. After we hide our supplies deep in the cave we head out, climbing back up the mountain as quietly as possible.

As much as I love Jared and as much as I feel bad for saying this, I think this spy mission would be much easier by myself. Jared hikes a lot louder than I do. What's funny is that he keeps thinking, _Stealth, Jared, be stealth _to himself and it's not helping in the slightest.

We reach the top of the mountain and decide through my telepathy, hand signals and whispers that we should split up and search the area then meet back at our cave at nightfall. I stand on my tip toes and kiss him. Hard. Trying to put as much of what I feel into the kiss as possible.

"Don't get caught." I hiss.

"You neither." He whispers back and with that we both turn and sneak off in the opposite direction. No one is at the Cornucopia which is weird. I guess they were too scared to stay. I wonder where they hauled all that stuff. I skirt around the edge of the clearing. There's sparse pine forest on this edge of the plateau dropping off the edge in a cliff even steeper than our side of the mountain. Now that it's quiet and I'm not panicked I can hear the crash of waves. I keep my mind listening closely for thoughts and creep to the other side. I look over the edge and sure enough there's gray-blue waves crashing against the side of the mountain. I can't suppress the happiness I feel at seeing the ocean. I slip back into the cover of the pines. Soon I find foot prints; I'm not following them long before I can hear thoughts. It's them. District 1 and 2. Well, now I know their names. The District 1 boy, Anthony, has a crush on the District 2 girl Cleo and the District 2 boy, Jordan, thinks the District 1 girl, Adeline who is Anthony's sister is really annoying. Something's gonna have to give there. She hates his guts too so maybe I'll get lucky and they'll simultaneously off each other.

I guess they stashed their Cornucopia supplies in a cave somewhere because they're each only carrying a back pack, and weapons, of course. Anthony is the leader and he's apparently leading them on a tribute hunt. You'd think that since this is the first games that we would be more hesitant to kill. I'm surprised out how quickly these kids, me included, deteriorated into ruthless killers. I've already killed four people. I use the word kill because I'm not comfortable with thinking of myself as a murderer. I wonder what my family and friends back home think of me now. I don't have much time to wonder though because my target is moving away from me. I stalk them silently as a cat and I'm surprised at how quiet I can actually be. None of them have noticed me.

But they have noticed someone else, District 8, her name is Bella. She was hiding in the branches of a tree that she's apparently allergic to, according to her thoughts. Her sneeze was what alerted the others of her presence. She had been looking for food when she heard them coming and had to scurry up a tree. The wrong tree, I guess.

The two districts surround her tree. Cleo is roughly the same size as Bella and is the first to climb up after her. Bella climbs even higher, chucking pine cones at Cleo and taunting her. Probably not the best idea but you've got to admire her anyway. This kid's got spunk. It doesn't last long though. Cleo catches up and manages to drag her out of the tree.

Bella is a good fighter but she can't hold off four angry kids with weapons. I can't just stand here and watch them murder her but I'm at a loss for what to do. Another person's thoughts enter my head. Justice, District 6. My brain is in chaos with all the different voices. Justice jumps in to help with a short spear. He cuts and jabs the attackers trying to keep them away from Bella who is in hand to hand combat with Cleo, having managed to disarm her, they're now wrestling and throwing punches. Finally, Bella knocks Cleo out cold. This of course makes Anthony mad and he goes after her viciously yelling "She's mine!" Dude seriously needs some anger management. His fury blinds him and he makes several obvious mistakes, which Bella takes full advantage of. At last Justice and Bella injure them enough to make their escape.

I wonder where Jared is, if he's close, if he's okay. My quarries are all tending their injuries at the moment and they all have angry, disappointed thoughts. I silently climb a tree, taking great care not to make any noise or do anything that might let them know I'm here. I settle down on a branch and wait, scanning their thoughts for anything of importance.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews you guys! They are very much appreciated. I tried to make this chapter longer for you.  
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Their plan is unsurprisingly straightforward. They are all seriously lacking in the creativity department. Pretty much they're hunting tributes and anyone they find they will kill. I follow them back to their base camp, they will, according to their thoughts, rest for a bit then hunt at night. I sneak back to my own base camp to wait for Jared, careful not to leave any tracks.

Jared shows up just as the sun is setting.

"Did you find them?" he asks.

"Yep." I answer

"And?" He prompts.

"They tried to kill two tributes and failed. Their plan is to massacre any and all tributes. Pretty straight forward. I know where their camp is but I think it's best to avoid them till forced to deal with them." I explain.

"Oh." He says, "I didn't find them. There was some food left in the Cornucopia though." He drops a sack of bread.

"Jared! That was dangerous! The Cornucopia is in the middle of the open plateau! You could have been seen!" I scold him.

"Megan, in case you haven't noticed. We're in an arena with eleven other children that want us dead. Everything we do is dangerous." He says.

"Hmph. No need to be condescending." I huff. He rolls his eyes but he's smiling as he pulls me into a hug.

"Let's just lie low for a while." He concedes. We sit close together against the wall of the cave in such a way that we can see the opening but we wouldn't be immediately spotted if someone happened across our hideout. We hold hands but each of us have a free hand on a weapon. We stay that way till the anthem plays. There's two tributes in the sky tonight. District 10 and 12.

_Day Three_

_Day Four_

_Day Five_

_Day Six_

_Day Seven_

For five days we stay holed up in our cave, whispering to each other. We've been here a week and we are starting to run low on food. It's dangerous to leave though for fear of Districts 1 and 2. Both tributes from District 11 have bit the dust and although we can't say who killed them, Districts 1 and 2 are very high on our suspect list. It's not as if we can't defend ourselves but we'd rather not risk it.

It seems as if 1 and 2 like to hunt at night so we venture out during the day for food. We're on the west side of the mountain. We haven't explored any of the other mountains although we might have too. We aren't having much luck finding food.

We come around the side of a huge boulder and I have to yank Jared back. I put my hand around his mouth. I hear thoughts. The movement sends gravel down the mountainside. The thoughts wonder who it is and I try to place the voices in a panic. I realize the voices are Cleo and Jordan. They left District 1 back at their campsite. Cleo is coming to investigate. I can hear her voice. She's manically happy. She's hoping its tributes. _Oh God_ I think, _We're going to die_. But that can't be right. It's two against two; we at least stand a chance. I ready my trident and give Jared a meaningful look. He grips his spear tighter.

Cleo rounds the corner of the boulder and shouts for Jordan, but it's a little late. I stab at her with my trident. Unfortunately I'm too far away and although she's bleeding and hurt she's not dead. She whips out a short sword and we start fighting. The cliff we're on isn't very wide and I'm scared of falling off but I have to focus on the task. I can read her mind and predict her movements so I counter every one. She starts to get frustrated. I'm so concentrated on her thoughts I don't even hear Jordan creep up from atop the boulder until it's too late. He has a bow and arrow. I miss the warning signs and I am unable to do anything about the arrow he fires directly at Jared. I feel my heart shatter as I see him lose his balance and fall of the edge with an arrow buried in his stomach. Something inside me snaps and I turn and viciously gut Cleo with my trident. The second cannon in 2 minutes fires. Two dead. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, partner for partner; but it's not even. Jordan didn't love Cleo like I loved Jared. He didn't have to watch his only love fall bleeding off a cliff.

Jordan is gone; he hightailed it out of here when I killed Cleo which is a very smart move on his part because when I find him, I will murder him and I will make sure he suffers, but not right now. He has two other kids backing him, one of them who will be supremely upset with me for killing his sweetheart. I start off down the mountain. Time to find out if there's food on the other mountains. I feel tears run down my cheeks, leaving trails through the dirt on my face. I let them go. Let the Capitol see, let the districts see. I want everybody to see what these games are doing. It's murder, murder of 23 children. The one who lives will be broken. The victor will live the rest of his life suffering in the lap of luxury. None of these kids deserve this. I stumble through the sparse vegetation. I need to find somewhere to sleep it's starting to get dark. I pick a tree as the anthem starts to play. I climb up through its thick branches and settle on one up high. I can see the faces now. First Cleo, then Jared. There are no names. Just faces and district numbers. It's like we're not even human. It's like they think we're animals.

A voice creeps into my head. I panic for a moment thinking I was hearing a tribute's thoughts before I recognize the voice. It's Jared. This doesn't make sense. I saw him die. And I saw his face in the sky as evidence. But I hear him, as if he was right here next to me. He sings to me and the tears start to flow again.

_At the top of my lungs I'm singing you a song.  
Don't you leave me alone._

_My bones were shattered._

_My pride lays shattered._

_I'm falling more in love.  
With every single word I withhold.  
I'm falling more in love.  
With every single word you say.  
I'm falling head-over-heels for you again. _

I don't believe this. It's not possible. I think I'm going crazy.

"Oh, Jared…" I moan holding my head in my hands. His body is broken and gone now. Taken away by Capitol workers to be cleaned up and sent home in a box. But then why can I still hear him? Is he really gone and this is my mind playing tricks on me or is this real?

_"Shhh. Megan. Go to sleep. I'll keep watch." _He says_. _I nod and try to get as comfortable as possible on my branch. I drift off to sleep. Before I know it I'm being woken up by Jared's voice.

_"It's time to wake up, Megan. We need to get moving before it gets light enough for people to see you."_ He warns me. I look toward my destination. He's right. There's a wide open space I hadn't noticed between the two mountains. I guess I was too wound up yesterday to be observant. I climb down out of the tree and set off, my trident rested over my shoulder. I trek across the valley. My mind is open for thoughts but the only voice I hear is Jared's and my own. I look around nervously as I walk, trying to keep an eye out for unwelcome visitors. Jared whispers words of encouragement to me.

_"You're doing great Megan. You're so strong. Just get to a hiding place in the mountains then you can rest."_ He says.

"But I don't feel strong." I say, "I'm weak and lonely here without you."

_"You aren't alone, Megan. I promised I'd never leave you. You think I'm going to let a little thing like death stop me? I'll always be with you." _He says.

"I love you." I whisper trying not to cry.

The sun is just now rising when I reach the foot of the mountain. I hurry into the shade of the evergreens, praying that I wasn't spotted crossing the valley.

_"Hide."_ Jared tells me. His voice sounds urgent. I look around wildly for a place to take cover. There's a bush a couple feet away and I dive into it. Amazingly there's a hollowed out space inside. I couldn't see the place from where I was so hopefully no one will see me. I hear the racing thoughts before I hear the footfalls. Somebody is running. Make that three some bodies. The little girl from 5, Claire, is running from Justice and Bella. She bursts through the trees just ahead of them and whirls around throwing a knife. The knife hits Justice in the chest and he falls to the ground. Claire takes off running again and Bella lets out a grief strangled cry before running after her with brutally renewed determination.

I creep out of the bush and crawl over to the boy's side. He's gasping for breath and the knife is still lodged between his ribs. His eyes widen when he sees me.

"Shh." I whisper. I take his hand. I don't want him to die alone.

"Don't be scared." I tell him. "Everything will be alright. At least you get to escape now. You can go somewhere happy and be safe. No one can ever hurt you again." He's coughing up blood now but I can see in his eyes. He is grateful. He is hopeful. He feels better. I'm glad to know I made him feel better. He closes his eyes and takes one last shuddering breath before a cannon fires. I take the knife. It will be of more use to me than him now. I wipe it on the grass then slip it in my pocket and start hiking up the mountain diagonally away from the way Claire and Bella went.

_"You did the right thing."_ Jared whispers_. "His family is thankful that he didn't have to die alone. They want you to win. They want you to live."_

"The world is such a bad place to live, Jared. But oh, I don't want to die." I say softly. Everyone in Panem probably thinks I'm talking to myself. I don't care. I don't live to please them. In fact, I'm sure my death would probably please quite a few of them. I sulk up the mountain and I'm pleasantly surprised when I find a river. This will be a good source of drinking water and hopefully there's fish. I use my knife to carve some bark out of a pine tree and begin making a fish hook. Soon enough I've not only made a fish hook but I found a stick to use as a pole and I tear a piece of fabric from my T-shirt to make a line. I spend the rest of the day fishing and am rewarded with 3 trout. Now the question is how to cook them. I guess I could eat them raw but I'm not too keen on that option, too much bacteria.

"Any ideas?" I ask Jared.

_"We could salt it and dry it." _He says.

"But I don't have any salt." I protest. Almost immediately after I say that a silver parachute floats down to me. I open the container to find salt. Well, perfect. I set to work salting the fish; when I'm done preparing it I set it out to dry. It's well into afternoon now and I'm not sure what else to do while I wait for the fish to dry. I sit up in a tree and watch the fish to make sure no animal or tribute steals it. There are no thoughts in my area of the arena. I feel incredibly lonely even with Jared's voice sometimes talking to me in my head.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully and before I know it the anthem is playing. Justice and Claire are shown in the sky tonight. I guess Bella caught up with her. I try to remember whose left. There are only four others. Bella, Adeline, Anthony and Jordan. That's nineteen dead. I'm a lot closer to getting home then I thought I was. This thought comforts me as I drift off to sleep in my tree, Jared singing in my head.

_We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside  
Somewhere we live inside  
We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside_

_We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than the wars of our fathers  
And everything inside screams for second life_

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_**Tributes are dying fast. I'm not sure how long I can drag out this story. By the way the two songs in here are**** "My Beautiful Rescue" by This Providence**** and "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot**_. _**Just incase you were wondering.**_  
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	8. Chapter 8

**Okay this is a really short chapter but why take two thousand words to say what you can say in 827 words?**

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The gray light of dawn wakes me up the next day.

"_Good Morning, Sunshine!" _chirps Jared's voice in my head.

"Exactly what's so good about it?" I reply out loud. I'm not quite my usual charming self in the morning.

"_Well, you're not dead."_ He says, always the optimist. I appreciate his attempt to cheer me though. I shake myself awake and then check for thoughts before I climb out of my tree. There's no one. This doesn't surprise me since there are only four kids in this arena and it's pretty big. I wonder how long we can avoid each other before the Capitol finds a way to intervene. I splash my face with water from the river and then eat some of my fish. I sit back on my heels.

"What should we do now?" I ask, seemingly to empty air, but I know Jared is listening.

"_You have two options, hide all day or hunt down tributes." _He informs me. I really don't want to kill anymore, I'm tired of the murder of innocent children.

"_No one in here is innocent, Megan. Not even you. We've all killed. It's the only way you'll ever get out. You have to get out Megan. Think of your family."_ He's right of course.

"Okay, hunting it is." I say. I pack up my stuff and ready my trident. I head back across the valley. This mess started at the Cornucopia, it only makes sense that that is where it will end.

When I stumble across District 1 and 2's camp, I discover that Bella had the same idea. She's hiding in a tree, one she's not allergic to, and is mentally preparing herself to attack them. Just as Bella is about to jump out at them, an argument breaks out among the alliance. Jordan is yelling at Adeline for something stupid. I can't even figure out what he's mad about and I read minds! Adeline is bewildered and then she gets angry. She is about to attack him when he picks up his bow and shoots her in one fluid motion. A cannon fires and Anthony yells in fury. He knocks the bow out of Jordan's hands and starts punching him. Blood spouts from Jordan's nose. Anthony wrestles him to the floor but Jordan is bigger and gets him in a choke hold. He squeezes, crushing Anthony's windpipe until another cannon fires.

Jordan breathes heavily. Bella, having just witnessed Jordan kill his two allies, thinks again about attacking him, but she realizes she's going to have to if she wants to get home and with that, jumps him from behind with her knife. He throws her off him and turns to grab his bow and arrows but I'm quicker. I steal his bow before he can get to it and then I quickly melt back into the shadows of the trees before he can see me. Bella sees me though. She's puzzled for a moment but doesn't let it distract her for now because Jordan has picked up a short sword. They fight for what seems like hours but what is probably only fifteen minutes. Bella is faster than him and is able to dodge most of his blows. She starts to tire however and he stabs her with his sword right through her middle. Her eyes widen and she gasps.

I barrel out of the camouflage of the trees and hold my trident out in front of me. I shove it through his back. I realize stabbing someone in the back is a despicable thing to do but in this hell hole you become the lowest of the low and you've got to do what you've got to do to survive. Jordan sputters up blood then falls face first in the dirt. A cannon fires, followed closely by its twin.

Everybody I came in here with is dead. I'm alive. I'm alive because I murdered. I'm alive. Jared's voice is not there to comfort me now, instead a different voice booms all around me.

"Congratulations to the very first winner of the Hunger Games, District Four's Megan Melaleuca."

A hover craft appears above me and a ladder drops. I grab it and feel myself freeze in place. A strange sort of relief washes through me. My victory is bitter sweet. Yes, I won, I'm alive, but at what cost. At the cost of 23 others dead and their loved ones' grief. At the cost of the love of my life's death. I'm alive and going home yet I feel utterly alone. My spirit feels broken. Tears stream down my face. I'm alive but for all intents and purposes I am dead. No one can truly make it out of these games alive.

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**Thank you to everybody who has read and/or reviewed! I know this story was short but really, I can't focus long enough to write a long story which is why I need practice, which is what my fanfiction account is for. If you guys review I'll write an epilogue. If you don't want an epilogue, review anyway! They make my day; I love to know what you guys think. **


	9. Epilogue

**To my faithful reviewer who asked for the epilogue: Thank you for sticking with my story. Here's the epilogue. I hope everybody likes it and even if you don't you should still review and tell me what you thought of my story. Kthanxbye!**

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I still find it hard to believe I made it out of the arena. A day or two is spent perfecting me for my public appearance. As for now, I'm waiting offset while Charlie Lancaster greets the audience. A man with a headset ushers me onto the stage, a soft bluish green dress swishes around my knees as I walk towards the center. There's a throne-like chair for me to sit in, and when I skim my interviewer's thoughts I realize that this is where I will have to watch a recap of the games. I don't want to sit and watch them all die again. I want to run out of this room. I want to be empty, devoid of emotion. I don't want to feel this crushing hurt, this aching loneliness.

"_You're not alone, You're never alone. I will always be here." _ Says Jared. Oh good, he's back. But what a fine time for him to show up. Where have you been? I ask mentally. I don't want to say it out loud because Charlie is talking to me and I want to at least look like I'm paying attention. I nod politely and smile. I can tell by his thoughts that this was a passable reaction.

The lights dim and the pre-game events start playing on the screen. Oh God. Oh God. I think. My heart twists painfully inside my chest. There's Jared, holding my hand and waving at the crowd. Alive, as in, without an arrow through his stomach. They proceed to the actual games, the bloodbath at the Cornucopia and me and Jared hiking through the mountains.

I can't hold it in any longer. I start to cry, hard. I wish Jared was here to hug me and hold me. I'm such a baby.

"_It's okay, Megan. We'll be together again someday. I'll be able to touch you and hold your hand." _He tries to reassure me. 'Where are you?' I think desperately.

"_Somewhere else. Somewhere safe. You'll be able to come here someday too. There are some other tributes here. Justice and Bella. You would have liked them. You would have been friends with them if things hadn't gone the way they did." _ That makes me feel a little better. I suffer through the rest of the showing. The worst part is seeing Jared die again. I almost bolt out the door right then but Jared's voice helps me stay put. He says he's somewhere beautiful. I believe him.

The games last 3 hours. I'm frozen in that stupid ornate chair for 3 hours. When it's over, the president comes and places a crown on my head. I'm not impressed. I'm disgusted. Jewels and riches for a murderer. The Capitol is evil. Pure evil.

As if this has not been enough, I'm not allowed to sit in my grand home in Victor's Village and try to forget everything that happened in the arena. I will be going on a Victor's Tour, to look into the faces of the families whose children I have killed. And after that it will still not be over. I am going to be a mentor. I have to mentor the tributes from my district until there are two victors to replace me.

I board the train that will take me home. I am the richest in my District, the strongest of the strong and I am a prisoner like everyone else. I am locked up in myself with Jared's voice in my head. When I get home, people I love, people that love me envelop me in their arms. Hugs, laughter, joy, that I am home. But I do not see it. I do not feel it. I do not hear it. I hear Jared, I see Jared, I feel Jared. He is with me. He is helping me. We will do everything we can to bring a tribute home. To give them a chance of what I am unable to grasp. I can't feel the joy of winning, but that doesn't mean someone else can't. I am commanded by the devil himself to mentor tributes each year, and I will do a god damned good job of it. This, I swear.

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**So? What did you guys think? I'm contemplating writing a sequel. Let me know if I should.**


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